Italy are aiming for World Cup glory despite having to navigate a treacherous play-off path in order to get the 2022 tournament, with North Macedonia the first barrier standing in their way.
Portugal's Ruben Dias is likely to miss this month's World Cup qualifier against Turkey with a hamstring injury that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said will sideline the defender for up to six weeks.
Russia has been expelled from the World Cup after being suspended from all international competitions "until further notice", Fifa and Uefa announced in a joint statement on Monday, while European football's governing body also ended its partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
Russia's future in the World Cup is teetering on a knife-edge after Fifa's plan to allow them to play on neutral territory were dismissed as "unacceptable" by rivals, plunging the qualifying process for football's showpiece event into chaos.
Sadio Mane trumped Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations final, but the Egyptian will soon have a chance to even the score in a World Cup play-off.
England manager Gareth Southgate has set his sights on the nation's "missing piece" as he targets World Cup glory in 2022.
The Confederation of African Football has decided to back Fifa’s plans to host the World Cup every two years if the organisation can prove it is feasible.
European champions Italy and Portugal could meet for a place at the 2022 World Cup after being drawn in the same play-off path on Friday.
The Ghana Football Association has released an official statement in response to the South African Football Associations formal complaint to world football governing body Fifa regarding the controversial match between Bafana Bafana and Ghana.
World football governing Fifa has confirmed they have received a protest letter from the South African Football Association (Safa).